


No Man's Land

by FeelsLikeTea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - World War I, Angst, Gen, The Christmas Truce of 1914, WWI AU, warfare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-29 18:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15079082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelsLikeTea/pseuds/FeelsLikeTea
Summary: "You no shoot, we no shoot!"With the deliverance of those six foreign, English words, Oikawa prepared himself for death. He was prepared to be riddled with flying metal.





	No Man's Land

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the Christmas Truce of 1914, during WWI in which the duelling forces of Germany and Britain call a truce for the holidays.

December 24, 1914:

“You no shoot, we no shoot!”

Blood pounding in his ears, Oikawa hoisted himself from behind the parapet, his empty hands open and above his head as he stood in the line of fire. He knew that even a mere downward glance to the trench below would sign his death warrant, but the scrape of companions’ boots on the solid earth at his back told him all that he needed to know without having to look. 

His breath caught, uncontrollably wavering, and with the deliverance of those six foreign, English words, Oikawa prepared himself for death. He was prepared to be riddled with flying metal.

A long pause ensued, and then the clatter of falling weaponry rang from both sides of the field of barbed wire. Friends and enemies alike tentatively seeped from either side of no-man’s land. Oikawa, lightheaded with immense relief, stepped forwards, flanked by his comrades. 

The stretch of land between the German and British trenches filled with living, breathing bodies for once, and the heat that emitted from each and every one of them mingled into one massive fog that hung invisibly over their heads. The warmth penetrated their hearts and heads, and Oikawa could feel his mouth involuntarily turning up at the corners. Not that he minded, not even the slightest bit.

Handshakes were exchanged, rivalries momentarily forgotten. Oikawa stepped up to a boy who seemed to be of his age, frigid and shivering but smiling crookedly like the rest of them. With his own, frostbitten fingers he clasped the other’s hand and shook it firmly. Then, pointing at himself, he spoke.

“Oikawa.”

“Iwaizumi,” was the response.

Shouts rang from all around, and instinctually Oikawa reached for his weapon, to find that oh, he had left it behind. Fortunately there was no need for alarm, the exclamations being those of excitement rather than violence. 

Grabbing Iwaizumi’s gloved hand in a burst of energy, he dashed to join the growing crowd as they kicked at something on the ground. A game emerged on the battlefield, and Oikawa suddenly felt lighter, unburdened, and free to run and laugh and live the way he wanted to, at least for a while. 

It was the first time since the war had started that his muscles ached with something other than agonizing pain. This sort of pain, the kind of tightness as his cramped muscles stretched, was like absolute heaven. 

The tensions between the rivals had snapped, their hostilities released into the wind. He wished that the frozen air could freeze them, too; it would suspend them here in time and their guns would forever remain on the ground.

A melody that all recognized broke out as the sun set and darkness descended over the array of trenches, and a medley of two languages echoed into the night. He shook hands once more, with a smile more sad than ecstatic with joy like before. Oikawa was sure that, as they returned to the trenches, looking back over their shoulders, that he was by far not the only one dreading the morning.

The commanders were all wrong. These were all humans too.

 

 

He awoke to the sound of boots and loading guns and shouting. 

With a heavy heart, Oikawa reached for his weapon like those around him. With no time to wipe the sleep from his eyes and eyelids still heavy with delusions of yesterday, he hoisted the rifle to  
his shoulder. Shots ringing out from around him, he set his finger on the trigger. Heavy footsteps sounded behind his back, and he stiffened.

“Private, if you don’t shoot, I’ll shoot and it won’t be at the enemy. Get your guns up! All of you!” 

Oikawa fired blindly, glad for once that it was a rifle in his hands rather than a machine gun. This shouldn’t be so hard. It was easy before, but with doubts clouding his head and sleep clouding his vision he was tempted to stop shooting. 

From forty meters away, through the barbed wire, he caught sight of Iwaizumi’s dark, mussed hair. He watched the bullets streak from his neighbor’s, his friend’s, and his own gun with the knowledge that many of the people he met and played with today would die at his own hand. 

Three thoughts ran through his mind as tears ran from his face.

 

Why are we on different sides? 

Why are they enemies? 

What are we even fighting for anymore?

**Author's Note:**

> If any of my historical facts are incorrect, feel free to correct me (I'm no history person)


End file.
